Port People: New York City, Portland (OR), Seattle

James Patchett to head the New York City Economic Development Corporation

James Patchett
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced January 17 his appointment of James Patchett to succeed Maria Torresr-Spring as president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Ms. Torres-Springer, the agency’s head since July 2015, will become commissioner of the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Mr. Patchett is the chief of staff to the New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, an office that oversees more than 25 agencies, authorities and offices, including the Department of City Planning, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development, the Economic Development Corporation, and the New York City Housing Authority.

Prior to joining the mayor’s office, he worked as a vice president in the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, where he financed real estate and economic development projects across the country. Earlier, as a senior analyst at NERA Economic Consultants, he worked on energy and environmental matters and assisted public agencies and private companies in evaluating major economic development initiatives, including mixed-use projects, manufacturing facilities, airports, casinos, and new transportation infrastructure.

He holds a BA in Economics from Amherst College and an MBA from Stanford University.

NYCEDC's mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the city's competitive position. It owns cruise terminals in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The agency is also spearheading an initiative to reestablish southwest Brooklyn as a shipping hub.

NYCEDC is an AAPA Corporate member.

Portland (OR): Port Launches Executive Director Search

The Port of Portland has launched a search for a successor to Executive Director Bill Wyatt. Mr. Wyatt will retire this June 30 after serving as the port’s chief executive since 2011.

The port’s nine commissioners hold responsibility for selecting the executive director. However, the process will also include external stakeholders as part of an advisory group to the Commission and will include an on-line opportunity for the general public to comment on job and search criteria.

The port has hired an executive search firm to conduct the search. The process will be as follows:

• January 13-27, 2017: On-line public comment period opens to gather input regarding the search criteria and job profile. Go to http://mbsearch.com/port-of-portland-public-comment.
  

• February 8, 2017: Commission to adopt job profile and search criteria and finalize the search process during the regular public meeting
  

• Spring 2017: Advisory group executive session to interview candidates and Commission executive session to interview finalists.
  

• June 2017: Commission to approve and hire candidate at regular public meeting
  

"Our goal in this search is to ensure we select the best leader for the port moving forward and provide opportunities for our stakeholders to be part of the process," said Commission President Jim Carter. "Bill has been a skilled, dynamic and admired leader and it will be tough to fill his shoes, but the process we have laid out will be thorough and far reaching."

Port of Seattle Commission Elects New Leadership

 
Tom Albro
Photo/Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle Commission on January 17 elected the following officers for 2017: Tom Albro, president; Courtney Gregoire, vice president; Stephanie Bowman, secretary; and Fred Felleman, assistant secretary. John Creighton will be commissioner-at-large.

"It’s my privilege to serve as commission president," said Commissioner Albro. "I believe in servant leadership - the call of a leader to serve those who elected them. So my approach will be to help us all do our best and work effectively together. I look forward to the year ahead, which I’m sure will be busy."

Commissioners also thanked outgoing president John Creighton for his community-oriented approach and long-term vision for better serving economic and community needs in King County.

In 2016, the port:

• Authorized $2 billion in capital improvement projects aimed at reducing congestion and expanding quality service at Sea-Tac Airport
• Provided more than $1 million in Economic Development Partnership and Tourism Development awards to help 31 King County cities and 13 Washington State tourism groups
  
• Launched two studies to examine the feasibility of aviation-biofuel infrastructure and commercialization of aviation biofuels in the Northwest
• Funded assistance for state and local roads that ease congestion and improve freight movement
• Conducted multiple community engagement roundtables on Sea-Tac ground transportation in advance of finalizing TNC pilot program and issuing on-demand taxi contract request for proposals
• Tripled the number of internships offered at the port and in partnerships with related employers
• Completed the environmental review to redevelop Terminal 5 and make it big-ship ready in partnership with the Northwest Seaport Alliance
  

In 2017, the port will continue that work with additional environmental and economic development initiatives, particularly those focused on reducing carbon emissions, improving quality of life in communities near the airport, and connecting more people to Port-related careers.

In its 2017 budget, the Commission authorized more than $45 million in environmental initiatives and projects, $3.9 million in workforce development programs to provide more internships and job-training programs, $1.7 million to promote, support and expand a number of tourism initiatives for the region, and $1 million in grants to cities in King County to support their economic development initiatives.